Laparoscopic medical procedures are accomplished through access ports. That is, small incisions are made in the patient, and an access port is inserted in each incision, giving medical personnel access to the interior of the body. Medical personnel then insert cameras and instruments through the access ports to perform the medical procedure.
When a laparoscopic procedure occurs within the intra-abdominal cavity of a patient, it is common to pressurize the cavity with a gas to enable the camera to provide medical personnel with a better view of the body's interior and to provide more room to perform the medical procedure. Usually, the access ports are constructed with valves which may be closed when the patient's intra-abdominal cavity is pressurized so that the gas cannot escape, and thus, deflate this space. In addition, the access ports normally have internal seals that seal against laparoscopic surgical instruments extending through the ports. Hence, pressurization gas is substantially prevented from escaping from the intra-abdominal cavity during the insertion and use of laparoscopic surgical instruments through the access ports.
A known problem, however, occurs when objects must be introduced through the access port into the body's interior that are significantly smaller in cross section than the internal diameters of the access ports so that the seals do not seal against the objects after the intra-abdominal cavity has been pressurized. The problem is that the pressurization gas escapes while the object is being introduced through the access port. The present invention addresses this problem by making it possible to insert such objects through the access port while substantially preventing the escape of the pressurization gas.
Typically, surgical procedures require the insertion of a drainage tube to drain the surgical site while the patient is recovering from surgery. In use, the distal end of the drainage tube is located at the surgical site in the patient's body and the proximal end is connected to an exterior suction/collection device. The drainage tube is placed in position by threading the proximal end of the drainage tube through a first access port and then partially out a second access port site until the distal end of the tube is inserted into the intra-abdominal cavity whereupon the distal end of the tube is positioned at the surgical site. Alternatively, the entire drainage tube is threaded into the intra-abdominal cavity and the distal end of the tube positioned at the desired location before the proximal end of the tube is withdrawn through a second access port site. The skin of the patient is sutured to the drainage tube in order to retain the tube and assist in preventing fluid leakage.
A problem with the above-described procedure is that the pressurization gas escapes through the gap between the internal diameter of the access port and the exterior of the drainage tube, due to the relatively small diameter of the drainage tube. As the drainage tube is hollow, the pressurization gas also escapes through the tube itself.
The foregoing only is one specific example of the problems that the present invention addresses. The present invention may be used to insert into the body different kinds of objects required in the course of laparoscopic surgery, other than drainage tubes, while substantially preventing the escape of the pressurization gas. Such other kinds of objects, by way of non-exclusive example, include plastic specimen bags, fabric material for surgical repairs of a hernia, sponges, etc.